Mammary Cell News Volume 3.15 | Apr 21 2011

Potential New Blood Test and Treatment for Breast Cancer Announced by Sialix, Inc. and Researchers at the University of California, San Diego
Sialix, Inc. announced the results of a study it participated in with researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine that could have significant impact in the prediction, early detection and treatment of cancer in humans. [Press release from the Sialix, Inc. discussing online prepublication in Cancer Research]

ACE Inhibitors May Increase Risk of Recurrence in Breast Cancer Survivors
ACE inhibitors, commonly used to control high blood pressure and heart failure in women, may be associated with an increased risk of recurrence in women who have had breast cancer. [Press release from EurekAlert! discussing online prepublication in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment]

Berkeley Lab Scientists Find that Normal Breast Cells Help Kill Cancer Cells
A new study shows that normal mammary epithelial cells, as they are developing, secrete interleukin 25, a protein known for its role in the immune system’s response to inflammation, for the express purpose of killing nearby breast cancer cells. [Press release from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory discussing online prepublication in Science Translational Medicine]

Air Pollution Exposure at Certain Life Stages Affects Chances of Developing Premenopausal Breast Cancer
Exposure to air pollution early in life and when a woman gives birth to her first child may alter her DNA and may be associated with premenopausal breast cancer later in life, researchers have shown. [Press release from the University at Buffalo discussing data presented at the 2011 American Association for Cancer Research]

Biophysicist Targeting IL-6 to Halt Breast, Prostate Cancer
A biophysicist used a supercomputer to search thousands of molecular combinations for the best configuration to block a protein that can cause breast or prostate cancer. [Ohio State University Press Release]

LABORATORY RESEARCH

Normal and Neoplastic Nonstem Cells Can Spontaneously Convert to a Stem-Like State
Findings demonstrated that normal and cancer stem cell-like cells can arise de novo from more differentiated cell types and that hierarchical models of mammary stem cell biology should encompass bidirectional interconversions between stem and nonstem compartments. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A]

Histone Demethylase JMJD2B Coordinates H3K4/H3K9 Methylation and Promotes Hormonally Responsive Breast Carcinogenesis
Scientists reported that the H3K9 trimethyl demethylase JMJD2B is an integral component of the histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4)-specific methyltransferase, the mixed-lineage leukemia 2 complex. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A]

Human Xeno-Autoantibodies Against a Non-Human Sialic Acid Serve as Novel Serum Biomarkers and Immunotherapeutics in Cancer
Researchers show that human anti-Neu5Gc antibodies can be affinity-purified in substantial amounts from clinically approved intravenous IgG and used at higher concentrations to suppress growth of the same Neu5Gc-expressing tumors. [Cancer Res]

Phosphorylation of Serine 68 of Twist1 by MAPKs Stabilizes Twist1 Protein and Promotes Breast Cancer Cell Invasiveness
Investigators identified the serine 68 as a major phosphorylation site of Twist1 by mass spectrometry and with specific antibodies. [Cancer Res]

Overcoming Trastuzumab Resistance in Breast Cancer by Targeting Dysregulated Glucose Metabolism
Scientists investigated the antitumor effects of trastuzumab in combination with glycolysis inhibitors in ErbB2-positive breast cancer. [Cancer Res]

Formation of the eIF4F Translation Initiation Complex Determines Sensitivity to Anti-Cancer Drugs Targeting the EGF and HER2 Receptors
Researchers showed that trastuzumab, cetuximab and erlotinib all decrease the formation of the eIF4F complex in breast, colon and head and neck cancer cells, respectively. [Cancer Res]

Wwox Inactivation Enhances Mammary Tumorigenesis
Findings demonstrated the critical role that the WWOX tumor suppressor gene has in preventing tumorigenesis in breast cancer. [Oncogene]

Roles of Bcl-2 Interacting Mediator of Cell Death Induction and Survivin Downregulation in Lapatinib-Induced Apoptosis in Breast Cancer Cells with HER2 Amplification
Investigators investigated the effects of lapatinib in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)amplification-positive breast cancer cells with or without an activating PIK3CA mutation. [Oncogene]

MEK–ERK Pathway Regulates EZH2 Overexpression in Association with Aggressive Breast Cancer Subtypes
Scientists carried out a promoter analysis of the EZH2 gene and investigated whether a survival signal that is upregulated in cancer cells is related to overexpression at the transcription level. [Oncogene]

Hypoxia-Induced Jagged2 Promotes Breast Cancer Metastasis and Self-Renewal of Cancer Stem-Like Cells
Researchers aimed to define the mechanism of Notch-ligand activation by hypoxia in both primary tumor and bone stromal cells in the metastatic niche and to clarify their roles in tumor progression. [Oncogene]

Farnesoid X Receptor Inhibits Tamoxifen-Resistant MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cell Growth Through Downregulation of HER2 Expression
Investigators showed that activation of farnesoid X receptor, by the primary bile acid chenodeoxycholic acid or the synthetic agonist GW4064, inhibited growth of tamoxifen (Tam)-resistant breast cancer cells (termed MCF-7 TR1), which was used as an in vitro model of acquired Tam resistance. [Oncogene]

IL-25 Causes Apoptosis of IL-25R–Expressing Breast Cancer Cells without Toxicity to Nonmalignant Cells
Investigators identified six factors secreted by nonmalignant mammary epithelial cells differentiating in three-dimensional laminin-rich gels that exert cytotoxic activity on breast cancer cells. [Sci Transl Med]

CLINICAL RESEARCH

Examining the Influence of Beta Blockers and ACE Inhibitors on the Risk for Breast Cancer Recurrence: Results from the LACE Cohort
Scientists used observational data from the LACE Study cohort (women with early stage breast cancer (BC) from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Cancer Registry) to examine the association between beta blockers and/or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and BC recurrence, BC-specific mortality, and overall mortality. [Breast Cancer Res Treat]

Obesity and Breast Cancer Survival in Ethnically Diverse Postmenopausal Women: the Multiethnic Cohort Study
This study examined all-cause and breast cancer-specific survival by body mass index in the Multiethnic Cohort study for African American, Native Hawaiian, Japanese American, Latino, and Caucasian women. [Breast Cancer Res Treat]

Breast Cancer Prognosis Goes High Tech
Cancer researchers at the University of Calgary are investigating a new tool to use for the prognosis of breast cancer in patients. This new digital tool will help give patients a more accurate assessment of how abnormal and aggressive their cancer is and help doctors recommend the best treatment options. [University of Calgary Press Release]

New Dubin Breast Center at Mount Sinai Raises the Standard for Comprehensive Cancer Care
The new Dubin Breast Center of The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai opened, bringing a range of multidisciplinary services under one roof and marking a great leap forward in care of breast cancer patients throughout the region. [PRWeb]

Renowned Surgical Oncologist to Direct New Breast Center
One of the country’s foremost experts in breast cancer and a widely recognized name in the central Ohio cancer community has been named director of the newly opened JamesCare Comprehensive Breast Center. [The Ohio State University Press Release]

NYU Langone Medical Center Awarded $4.5 Million for Breast Cancer Research by U.S. Department Of Defense
New York University (NYU) Langone Medical Center announced the U.S. Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program of the Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs has awarded Silvia Formenti, MD a $4.5 million Multi-Team Award to conduct novel breast cancer research. [New York University Langone Medical Center Press Release]

Axxent FlexiShield Mini by iCAD (Formerly Xoft Inc.): Recall-Product May Shed Particles of Tungsten
Xoft Axxent Flexishield Mini product, Model 5300, may shed particles of tungsten. [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

EU Body Relaxes Curb on Avastin Breast Cancer Use
European regulators said they were relaxing curbs on the use of Roche’s Avastin to allow its use with Xeloda, another type of chemotherapy that is also made by Roche. [European Medicines Agency, United Kingdom]

National Institutes of Health (United States)

Food and Drug Administration (United States)

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)

European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

Lab Technologist – Human Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (STEMCELL Technologies)

Post-doctoral Fellow (University of Texas Medical School at Houston) 

PhD Program – Tumor Cell Intrinsic Signaling Pathways that Regulate Immune Suppression (Lady Davis Institute of Medical Research)

Post-doctoral Fellow (New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey)

Post-doctoral Position in Cancer Research (Tufts Medical Center)

Post-doctoral Fellow in Gene Expression/Cancer and Stem Cell Biology (University of Cincinnati College of Medicine)

Post-doctoral Research Associate (University of Wisconsin – Madison)

Post-doctoral Fellow (University of Texas Medical School at Houston)

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